Timothy Cochrane is the author of A Good Boat Speaks for Itself, Minong – The Good Place: Ojibwe and Isle Royale, and Gichi Bitobig, Grand Maris. He has worked as a fire lookout, backcountry ranger, historical, anthropologist, and superintendent for the National Park Service in Minnesota, Alaska, and at Isle Royales, Michigan. Tim has had […]

It has been 21 years since Lonnie Dupre and John Hoelscher completed the first and only circumnavigation of Greenland; a 6,500-mile journey all non-motorized by dog team and kayak. In 2022 Dupre went back to NW Greenland to document through film the Polar Inuit culture. Traveling from village to village by dog team, Dupre re-connected […]

University of Minnesota Duluth in partnership with the Gunflint Trail Historical Society is bringing this experience to the end of the Gunflint Trail!! The UMD is on a journey to celebrate and preserve Northeast Minnesota’s dark sky window to the universe. The journey will begin in Duluth on the 7th at the UMD planetarium and […]

Mark Neuzil is a professor of journalism at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He is the author, co-author or editor of eight books, almost all with environmental themes. A former wilderness guide and summer park ranger, he is currently working on a collective biography of nature writers with a Minnesota connection. Ancient […]

Mark Morgen and his wife Carol moved to the Grand Marais area 6 years ago after retiring from a 37-year career as an engineer for 3M Company. He has built over 20 canoes and kayaks, as well as one sailboat. The next current project will probably be a tandem sea kayak. He enjoys camping and […]

Meet Sherry Abts, the "Ely Loon Ranger" and Minnesota DNR Loon Watcher Survey volunteer with a lifelong passion for loons. Thirty-five years as a public educator has taught Sherry how to get people excited and interested in the natural world around them. Sherry's passion for loons began in 1993 when she volunteered with the Earth […]

Have you ever found a skull in the woods? Karen's love of helping folks discover the wonders in nature will help you identify skulls and discover the amazing adaptations of our animal neighbors. She will give a brief and lively Powerpoint presentation followed by the examination of her large skull collection. Karen is a retired […]

The Gunflint Trail Historical Society would like to introduce the next Artist-In Resident. Heather Friedli is Saint Paul’s premiere contemporary impressionistic artist. Friedli’s paintings represent places she has explored in her yearly “Artventures'' in the woods, rivers, and beyond. Her experiences in the landscape dictate brush strokes in these imaginative and brilliant paintings. Heather's work […]

Layne Kennedy has been a professional photographer for forty-five years.  His work includes fine art photography as well as editorial photography shooting magazine features for magazines worldwide.  He's taught the art of storytelling photography at the North House Folk School for over twenty years.  His editorial photography is represented by his office in Minneapolis and […]

The class will begin with a 30-40 minute presentation at Chik Wauk Nature Center (9:00 a.m.), then proceed south in your vehicle to a few outcrops of the Archean Saganaga tonalite (2.6 billion years old) along the Gunflint Trail. The rest of the day will involve a hike in the morning, lunch then another hike […]

Give to the Max Day - November 16, 2023 What does that mean? Give to the Max is a statewide outpouring of support for thousands of nonprofits across Minnesota! A time when people show their support of local organizations through financial donations. This day makes a difference to over 14,000 organizations that participate. This year […]

Dark Sky Festival December 7 - 9, 2023 Cook County is home to one of the darkest skies in the world. Every year, explorers, adventurers, artists, and photographers from around the world travel to Cook County to experience the northern lights and night sky. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) has been named one […]